Have taken both my Ausdie puppy & senior Bouvier to Sit Happens and been very impressed. Was taught excellent skills and they were extremely good with my attention deficit Bouvier. Highly recommend them The other thing is that you are provided with a punch card. Come on the nights you are available. This worked out really well for as I cannot commit to a set night every week for X number of weeks. read more

This place is so great with dogs and owners alike. They are patient and welcoming. We have used the puppy training classes where they gave us great training exercises and a paper at the end to recap and keep practicing at home. We also love puppy play time where the dogs play and socialize and then learn to calm them down. We just took our pup to puppy day care here and she was so tired when she came home. They give us a report card of how she did and even train them. I definitely recommend this place for training your pup or dog. read more

Such a welcoming and positive environment! I truly love the trainers here, Elaine and A. with the wonderful accent. They understand my pup and their techniques are helping him learn. He leaves with a smile on his face every time! Me too! read more

My dog and I have an interesting relationship, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm a cat person. He listens to me occasionally when treats are involved, and we wrestle and play otherwise. But he's HUGE now that he's grown up a bit (chocolate lab) and even though he is friendly, he is a menace. So we signed him up for doggie training classes. His behavior has improved noticeably a few weeks in, and right from the beginning he responded well to the classes. If your dog is still young, Sit Happens is a great place to find out how to assert your dominance and become the top dog in your dog's life so he'll finally stop eating your shoes. read more

I have probably the biggest beef with this place when it comes to dog training. I had just bought a puppy and was recommended this place through a friend. I had no prior knowledge of dog training besides what i have researched on the internet and Caeser Milan. The good: - Puppy play dates - fantastic way to get the dog to socialize. - knowledgeable staff - questions after class? They know how to answer. They give great tips and signs as to how the dog thinks. The bad: Where oh where do I begin? - no personalized training: Either you and your dog do it their way, or your dog is "poorly trained". Let me give you an example. Theres a puppy exercise where you make a mat your dogs home by rewarding him to be on his map. Heres a problem though, he pees on his mat. I dont want him to view his mat as his safe den, because he wont pee on it then and will pee somewhere else. Guess what, TOO BAD. - Not a good environment for all dogs: this one has a myriad of problems to go with it. Unless your dog is pre-trained, either by you or by a trainer, or your dog is kind of unruly and noisy, you will recieve no attention whatsoever anywhere in between. Compounded on that problem, the floor is literally LITTERED with treats EVERYWHERE. How can i get a puppy to pay attention to me with the treat in my hand, when theres a buffet on the floor?? D - no real life training: oh good, you taught my dog to run through a tunnel with out fear? Oh fantastic, now he'll just be running through the tubes in my house with out fear. Exactly what i wanted. Oh my dog is now trained to eat anything in a hula hoop. Great! Finally thise hula hoops can be used for something. These are useless training excercises unless you want your dog to be prepped for the Super Dog show. Things like teaching your dog to sit, lie down, stay, walk on a leash properly? Yeah forget about it. Thats not what puppy training is about. Now they do have SOME good exercises such as the "trade" game, but most are useless. -No socializing of dogs, unless you go to their event: i hate this the most. This is why i took my dog to classes in the first place. To be able to socialize with the people and dog there. Nope too bad. They tell you its a bad way for dogs to meet because their frustrated and want to play. Oh fantastic. Thank you for not teaching me how my dog should interact with other dogs on leash. Exactly the kind of thing i didnt want to know when i take my dog out to dog parks. Or walks. Why create classes when you could do individual visits with less distraction? My dog loves to socialize, so youre saying a well trained dog would ignore all other dogs right? My dog, who did i mention loves to socialize, will totally focus on me if hes well trained, instead of anothers dog butt. -Repeat topics: i think ive gone through each topic twice now. Ive gritted my teeth through preliminary puppy classes, now hes moved on to the next level. Things should be more useful right? Wrong. His first class of the second levels, and i swore i was in level 1 puppy classes again. I was even tempted to ask, since it was the exact same exercise as level 1. What??? And im paying for this?? It got to the point where i just finished the classes, gritted my teeth, and just trained my dog on my own. Guess how i did that. Internet and caeser milan. The only thing sit happens is good for are those puppy gatherings. All other classes are a pure waste of time. Extremely dissapointed. Sit Happens has succeeded multiple times in untraining my dog (their way or no way) out of things ive purposely trained him for (like peeing on a mat) and my dog is a fast learner. But to them hes just "not well trained" and "needs extra classes" yeah no. Nice try, but id rather never go back here again. read more

We enrolled our puppy here for classes as well as daycare and have not been disappointed. The team is amazing and are always willing to answer any questions. Our puppy has learnt a lot here and loves coming to the classes and especially the puppy playtime. You can also purchase dog toys and treats here. It's also a great place to leave your dog for day care as well as they are very caring and don't crate up your dog all day. If you want your dog to be fully exhausted, send them here for a day at daycare. Keep up the great work Jill & Team! read more

Sit happens staff are really not prepared or trained for any dogs that have any degree of behavioural issues. After attending several lessons it was clear that my puppy was distracted and could not focus. I was told that we were not able to progress to the next stage but they had a class called "relaxed and ready" which he could attend instead. This class was described as a calm class that would help him relax in stressful environments. After 6 weeks we had made zero progress. The trainer did not attempt to deal with the root of the issue. We would just keep trying different variants of sit and attention. As the lessons were now over the trainer told me that we were not ready or able to progress and I would be contacted with a plan. Another trainer then contacted me and suggested it was time I put my 5 month old puppy on medication. We were having no problems with the puppy at home, it was only at the classes and therefore I refused to consider medication as an option. Shortly after we hired a dog trainer that came to our house once a week. Within weeks he had figured out a plan that worked for our puppy. Which involved short bursts of training in order to keep his attention. The fact that they are not trained to work with a hyper puppy and would suggest medication makes me advise anyone with a puppy that is slightly hyper active or difficult to go else where. You will just waste your money and time by trying sit happens. read more

I went to the 3 out of 6 sessions for my Bailee. I have been busy training my baby. My star remains the same for now since I am half way from the training. Actually, 3.5 stars.... Bailee is a very hyper labradoodle. She can not sit still and away she goes when something catches her attention. Since we were training in "relax" she listen to me more so than before. Its the way you conduct yourself, and the steps how to get there. At home, she would be in a relax position when she wants something from me, if she wants to play, she wants my attention, she just use that relax position and I know what to do. As always, when we are there, the place is clean, the trainers are very good and knowledgeable. It was embarrassing though, Bailee barked the whole hour coz she wanted to play. The trainer was very patient and she wasn't aggitated, actually she even stirred me to the right direction and refer me to maybe transfer to another training, its still inline with what I registered with. Bailee is very smart, she chose to embarrass me that night, coz she wants to... read more

I have been to Sit Happens for a number of classes - basic training, agility, and foster classes. I really like their flexible format (for the basic training) in that you don't need to commit to the same day every week and you can try a variety of instructors. While they all follow the same basic format and methods, it's nice to be able to go to a few classes and find the personality that best clicks with you and your dog. Sit Happens has always been supportive of the rescue community and I have taken various foster dogs there for classes free of charge. The owner also gave me some unofficial advice on puppies when I was fostering a litter of newborn pups. I took agility at Sit Happens for awhile and I loved the instructor at the time. Sadly, she is no longer there and I haven't taken classes from the current instructor, so I can't comment on those. The facility itself isn't the best for agility, as the space is a bit small and there's a support pillar right in the middle of the area, which limits the courses you can do. I also took Nose Work classes with one of my dogs and that was a fun and unique course. read more

Extremely disappointed and disheartened to say the least. I had originally signed up for puppy school not realizing the extent of my puppies issues. I could not get him into the building during the first class due to his anxiety so the staff recommended that I sign up for BAT training which they explained was more extensive and would be of better benefit for him. I paid the additional fees and waited 3 months for the next available class. We attended two classes of the BAT training but were unable to participate due to my puppies issues and had to discontinue all together. I have since found out my puppy has sever neurological issues due to an unethical breeder and is being heavily medicated. As a result I have been told that training is not an option. I was told initially that when my puppy was better I could re-attend training. I called sit happens to explain the situation and inquire about a refund. I spent $441 and unfortunately only received a refund of $220. While I understand this is a business, it should be noted the staff made these recommendations to myself, took additional money and unfortunately could not provide services. If the owner truly cared about animals and respected her clientele she would speak with them directly and make a fair and reasonable decision rather than just taking clients money when no services are provided. I would do your research and think very carefully about which training school you choose before handing over your money. read more

First of all I'd like to comment on the great support that Sit Happens offers to the community and local charities. I have been involved in animal rescue in the Calgary area for 7 years and continually see donated classes and goods from Sit Happens at silent auctions and various fundraisers. They also support local rescues by offering free/discounted classes to dogs currently in foster care, and provide discounts to responsible pet owners through the City of Calgary dog licensing program. It's heartwarming to see a business that truly cares about the needs and successes of dogs, rather than only their bottom line. I've attended a few of the basic training classes there, both with my personal dog and foster dogs. They do a great job of teaching owners how to train their dogs in a positive, relationship building manner. In addition to teaching polite manners, the trainers also give reasons why what they are teaching is important, as well as additional pointers on topics such as dog body language and communication. The trainers have always been willing to answer my specific questions and spend a bit of one-on-one time with each dog/handler in the class. My 8 week old foster puppy is currently attending puppy playtimes there, and when the trainer noticed that she was overwhelmed with the older (13-16 week old pups), more boisterous pups there she offered me a quieter place in another room with other more timid dogs. My puppy enjoyed her quiet playtime whereas if she had stayed in the larger room she likely would not have had as positive of an experience. I have only used their services for basic training and socialization and have always been very impressed with it. I have personally seen Sit Happens excel with timid and average dogs. In addition to a great training method and atmosphere, they offer competitive prices with many additional resources included in the packages. Their flexibility in class times is also a huge bonus as you can still live your life while training your dog. read more

Awesome classes, my dog was treated with respect, and I was shown how to train using positive reinforcement rather the corrections. My dog loves going to classes and I love going with him. read more

Amazed at the negative review - though, as stated, it was an open play session not a training class - significant difference. We've been going to Sit Happens with our dog Magnum since he was a little puppy. Now a big Samoyed. We love the positive reinforcement (no negative stuff like shock collars etc.). All the staff are trained behaviourists. I was recently at a behind the scenes event at the Edmonton Zoo and they were using some of the same positive training techniques we see at Sit Happens. Magnum goes to their day care a couple of times per week and its great too. Keep up the great work!!! read more

My foster dog, Emma, and I attended the Goodbye Growl classes with trainer, Nicky. Nicky is amazing - calm, knowledgeable, with an ability to communicate with both the dogs and us humans. Prior to attending classes at Sit Happens, we had taken classes with another organization with no progress. So it was a lifesaver to find Nicky and Sit Happens. Emma is a sweetheart in every way but for some reason attacks dogs she doesn't know. I have learned so much about the way dogs communicate and I can definitely see the progress Emma has made. Thank you so much, Nicky! read more